Pillow-sham holder



(No Model.)

N. W. STEARNS.

PILLOW. SHAM HOLDER.

Patented June 20,1893.

THE NORRIS PETERS co, PPlOTQ-UTHO" WASHINGTON. n. c.

UNrTE STATES PATENT NORMAN \V. STEARNS, OF MIDDLEBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS.

PlLLOW-SHAM HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 499,858, dated June 20, 1893.

Application iiledd'anuary 4, 1893.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that l, NORMAN W. STEARNS, of lvliddleborouglnin the countyof Plymouth and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Pillow-Sham Holders, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a pillowsham holder constructed in accordance with my invention and applied to the head of a bedstead. Fig. 2 represents in horizontal section, the clamps shown in Fig. 1,.and in plan the frame swung up or back against the head board; Fig. 3, a vertical section on the line no a: of Fig.1; Fig.4 the two clamping devices with the opposite ends of the screw connection which engage therewith--one end having a right hand and the other end a left hand thread; Fig. 5, a section of a screw nut applied to an end of thelower horizontal portion of the sham-supporting frame. Fig. 6 represents one manner of attaching to the holder, a tape or elastic webbing to which the sham may be conveniently secured. Fig. 7 represents one form of attachment of an elastic cushion to the inner or bearing surface of a clamp; Figs. 8 and 9 details to be referred to.

My present invention relates to certain improvements in devices for securing pillowsham holders to the posts or head boards of bedsteads, and consists in the peculiar construction, arrangement and combinations of parts hereinafter more particularly described and then definitely claimed at the end hereof.

In' the drawings A A represent the two posts at the opposite sides of the head board a of a bedstead, the front of the posts projecting forward therefrom and having applied thereto a pair of clamping devices B B, the inner surfaces 1516 of which are shaped to conform to the front and outer faces of the posts, which in Figs. 1 and 2 are shown at right angles to each other or the inner faces of each clamp form an arc of a circle as in Fig. 8 to fit the exterior of a post of cylindrical form or are of hexagonal form (Fig. 9) for application to a post having a hexagonal cross section-these inner surfaces 15-16 being adapted to the shape of any posts to which the sham holder is to be applied. The

clamps have screw-threaded sockets b, one

Serial No. 457,260. (No model.)

clamp having a right hand and the opposite clamp a left hand thread cut in its'interior for the reception of the correspondingly threaded ends of a connecting rod 0 provided if desired with an enlargement 17 which may be grasped by hand to facilitate its rotation-or holes may be made in said enlargement or directly in the connection for the reception of a short bar 18 for the same purpose. An elastic pad 0 possessing the property of a spring in a greater or less degree (according to the requirements hereinafter stated) is interposed between the inner faces of each clamp 13 and the corresponding surfaces of the post to which it is applied, and while serving as a shield to prevent injury to the finish, also performs (when required) the function of a compensating or take-up device-this being necessary to preserve sufficient strain when the screw connection is partially revolved by the swinging up and down of a sham frame when permanently secured to, so as to partially rotate with said connection. hen, however, the frame is loosely connected, so as to be capable of being tilted, without turning the screw connection, the said spring pad is not called upon to exercise its compensating attribute. The elastic pad 0 can be attached by forcing a projecting portion d through a hole at 6 (Figs. 2 and 7) or attached in any other simple way-thereby always being in place on the clamp for simultaneous application therewith-one strip a of rubber being sufficient when bent against both of the faces of the same. When the approximate distance between the outsides of the opposite posts is ascertained and the distance between the inner faces of the clamps made to nearly correspond thereto-they are caused to approach each other (if too far apart) and made to abut against the posts by simply rotating the screw connection 0 in the manner previously described in the direction of the arrow 20-1. e. toward the operator, and in the opposite direction if the clamps are too near and require separating. After properly engaging with their respective posts, a continued rotation or partial rotation in the direction of the arrow 20 will-cause the clamps to exert' the desired degree of pressure upon the postsmore than sufficient to enable the holder to perform its required function, viz: a stable fulcrum for the sham frame (and sham) when swung up and down to uncover and cover the pillows.

' secured to a cylindrical sleeve 41 which may be either securely fastened to the ends of the screw connection where it enters the clamps B B or directly to said connection 0; or a sleeve may simply surround the connecting rod without being permanently fastened thereto. Then secured so as to be controlled by and rotated or partially rotated in common with the connection 0, the frame may be readily thrown up by simply applying the hand to the nearest side portion 21 and when the horizontal portion 22 of the'frame is resting against the head-board a in a backwardly inclined position as seen in Fig. 3, it is there retained by reason of the friction created by the compensating spring pads 0 against the outer surfaces of the posts without considering the factor of gravity of the frame in this position, the degree of said friction being sufficient to prevent the accidental swinging down of the frame and the partial backward rotation of the connecting rod 0, but not so great that it may not be overcome by the re-- sistance offered thereto when the hand is applied to swing the frame down.

The rationale of the foregoing result is somewhat as followsviz: the screw connection can be made to exert so great a tensile strain that the clamps (when the frame is down) are drawn with any required pressure against their bearings, the consequence of which is that the two elastic compensating devices 0 care tightly compressed, thus reducing their thickness while expandinglaterally, and during the operation of swinging up the frame the partial revolution of the screw connection 0 is very small, almost unappreciable in its influence in relaxing the clamping pressure, but any slight relaxation is promptly taken up and compensated for by theresiliency of the elastic devices 0 c; the clamping devices continuing to exert sufficient pressure to hold the frame in its swung-up position. When however the pivotal end of each side portion 21 is secured toa loose sleeve Z surrounding and free to rotate on the connection Cthe latter is not revolved and the normal position of the clamping devices remains unchanged, during the throwingbackv (or up) of the frame against the head board. In such case however to retain the frame in this position and prevent its accidentally falling down, I employ the following very simple device-see Fig. 5-1'n which D is a screw nut turning over a thread on one or both ends of the horizontal portion 22 of the frame, and when this portion is resting against the headboard, the effective length of said portionmay be readily adjusted to exactly conform to the distance between the inner faces of the posts by sim ply turning the nut in the required direction,

the bedstead at these points being avoided by providing the outer end of the nut with a rubber cushion m, one way of applying which is shown in Fig. 5.

To swing theframe down the friction of the elastic cushion may be overcome either by giving the near not a partial revolutlon in the opposite direction to that previously given or by gently drawing forward on the nut without rotating it-or by pressing the near nut away from the operator in the direction of the arrow 30 until the opposite cushion m is sufficiently compressed to relieve the friction on the near cushion-when the frame is free to be swung down over the pillows.

The sham may be conveniently applied by securing it to an ordinary tape or elastic strip n which extends longitudinally across and just above the screw connection C and has its ends held securely by a plug or stopper p of wood, cork or rubber forced into the outer end of the opening in the socket b for the reception of the said connection. See Fig. 6.

Where the pivotal ends of the side portions 21, 21 are loosely attached and free to rotate around and independently of' the screw connection C, the latter with its clamps B B after being tightened in place remains immovof the frame serves the additional purpose of the adjusting means for securing the clamp to the bed posts, thus serving a double function.

I claim- 1. In a pillow sham holder, the combination with two clamps B B, a screw connection 0 uniting and drawing the two clamps toward each other, and a pillow sham frame swinging upon said screw connection, substantially as described.

2'. In a pillow sham holder, the combination of two clamps B B, a screw connection 0 uniting and drawing said clamps toward each other,a pillow sham frame attached to said screw connection and the interposed elastic pads 0, whereby as the swinging of the frame upward slightly loosens the clamps, such loosening is compensated for by the elastic pads, as set forth.

Witness my hand this 26th day of December, 1892.

NORMAN WV. STEARNS.

In presence of IIC 

